17th January 1918 Thursday

All material produced or reproduced here and throughout this work is the sole copyright of the author and the family of Doctor D.C.M. Page MC.

“I left Victoria Station at 7.30 a.m. on the 17th January for France once more. It was raining heavily, and I felt very miserable. The leave-taking sights at the station made me worse. There were huge crowds out to see us off.

To console myself I had a second breakfast on the train. We sailed from Folkestone at noon. I had to stay in Boulogne over-night and put up at the ‘Hotel de Paris’ feeding at the ‘Hotel Folkestone’.”

Douglas’s consoling second breakfast indicates that he may have caught the Pullman again. No such luxuries a hundred years on, he may have been lucky to find a refreshment trolley serving a sandwich and something masquerading as a cup of coffee. Of course even boat trains to the now defunct Folkestone Harbour are a thing consigned to history, superseded by the Channel Tunnel.

Troop laden Folkestone to Boulogne

Find out about our connection with Dr Page and an introduction to his diary here